Friday, November 27, 2009

Latest H1N1 Virus Swine Flu Season in Full Flow

"DARnet Andy Roberts" - 1 new article

H1N1 Virus – Swine Flu Season in Full Flow

Swine Flu Season in Full Flow – H1N1 Virus check

It’s been more than six months since the swine flu epidemic erupted worldwide and in that time we have seen at least two major waves of illness around the northern hemisphere. The first was in our summer as the new virus spread in pockets after international travellers returned home already infected and affected wider populations in specific areas, particularly noticable when attributed to schools. The second wave started when the schools went back in September, in advance of our real winter which is only just beginning now, but peaked within weeks as the warm autumn weather held the virus in check.

November is traditionally the start of the flu season and this year is no exception apart from the fact that the flu virus in circulation is in most cases much more likely to be the new variant of type A H1N1 rather than the usual human h5n1 seasonal flu virus.

Second UK Swine Flu Wave Peaked?

So this is either a third wave or a reprise of the second wave if you prefer, and the signs are that this has just passed a temporary peak, with the number of new reported cases dropping week on week for the first time (UK estimate 46,000 new cases of swine flu in the last week, down from 53,000 week before.) An important question now is whether or not there are any signs of the virus mutating into a type that is more deadly as has happened previously in history with influenza pandemics caused by new strains. The pattern to look out for is one of successive waves of increasing numbers infected, followed eventually by one or more waves which are not only more deadly to victims but also more easily transmittable. Then eventually once a tragic number of fatalities have been cleared away, the flu virus mutates into a milder form that goes on to infect the rest of the world’s population who haven’t already acquired immunity, but without taking nearly such a bad toll in terms of lives. It is reasoned that it’s for this eventuality that various governments have planned vaccination programmes for whole populations, at present being implemented first only for the most “at risk” demographics -  young people, children and those with underlying health problems.

For the UK, another important fear is if the virus becomes resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu, since the government has taken the precaution of buying in huge stocks of the tablets, enough to treat one half of the country’s population.

H1N1 Swine Flu in the US after Thanksgiving

thanksgivingswinefluseason

The Thanksgiving holiday is typically followed by at least a modest bump in early seasonal flu cases, according to reports from the past few years. But this, of course, is not a typical year. Swine flu is a new virus that accounts for nearly all flu cases right now. Usually, seasonal flu is just getting going in late November, and holiday get-togethers allow illness to jump from small pockets to other parts of the country. Swine flu, in contrast, has been widespread for months.

“It’s not like we expect to see a bunch of infected people going to uninfected cities and towns”

said Andrew Pekosz, a flu expert at Johns Hopkins University. The swine flu pandemic hit the US in two waves: first in the spring, then a larger wave that started in the late summer.

The World Health Organization said H1N1 flu was moving eastward across Europe and Asia after appearing to peak in parts of Western Europe and the United States.

Reported Mutations of the swine flu type A H1N1 virus

Mutations of the DNA of influenza viruses are typical of any pandemic and world experts are watching carefully for any first signs of a dangerous mutation. So far the indications are that early warning systems are working but that no such mutation with a deadly combination of easy transmission, deadly payload and/or drugs resistance has shown up – yet. Isolated cases of different mutations have been reported from Brazil, Norway and China and drug resistance in a hospital in Wales.

from MetroNews.CA Toronto

WHO’s spokeswoman in Beijing, Vivian Tan, said the agency is aware of three such cases in China that occurred in June and July that were similar to the cases being investigated in Norway. Tan said WHO had no information on the cases mentioned in the Xinhua report Wednesday.

There is no evidence the mutated swine flu virus is circulating widely in the world, Tan said, but since it has been linked to deaths in Norway and elsewhere, investigators are focusing on whether this mutation could be a marker for more severe disease.

“We are concerned, but realize that influenza viruses, including A/H1N1, are relatively unstable and change easily, especially as they infect more people,” Tan told The Associated Press. “Some mutations can have minimal effects on how a virus functions, while other mutations can create important changes with significant public health impact.”

Several troubling outbreaks of drug-resistant H1N1 have been documented but it has been noted they are limited so far and there are no indications yet that the virus is mutating in a sustained way.

Swine Flu Deters Pilgrims to HAJJ

hajjhitbyswineflu

Saudi authorities announced four pilgrims have died of the H1N1 swine flu virus in the days leading up to the pilgrimage which began on Wednesday 26th November 2009. A Moroccan woman, a Sudanese man and an Indian man, all 75, and a 17-year-old Nigerian girl, died from H1N. The Saudi Health Ministry said the four had not followed ”recommended procedures, especially vaccination against swine flu”.

All the victims so far had been suffering from underlying health conditions with 16 other cases of swine flu infection among pilgrims. Health authorities in Saudi have mobilised for the world’s largest gathering since swine flu began spreading across the globe, but the number of pilgrims going on Hajj is likely to be lower this year due to rainstorms, and local officials admitting that fears of swine flu may keep away at least 40 percent of local pilgrims.

Tamiflu resistant swine flu

A Tamiflu resistant strain of the swine flu has spread between hospital patients in Cardiff, Wales.  They are thought to be the first confirmed cases of person-to-person transmission of a Tamiflu resistant strain in the world. Five patients at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales appear to have acquired the infection while being treated for other conditions, and these have now been joined by a sixth related case of the drug resistent flu strain.

The H1N1 virus has been remarkably stable since it emerged in April, but virologists had been half expecting new resistant strains to emerge somewhere in the world, and it appears to have happened first at the University Hospital of Wales in  Cardiff.

Norwegian Swine Flu H1N1 variation

Scientists in Norway announced recently that they had detected a mutated form of the swine flu virus in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill. The Norwegian mutation could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease, such as pneumonia. Influenza is a mutable virus, and changes are to be expected, this is typical early in the spread of a pandemic virus.

Some 680,000 Norwegians are estimated to have been infected with swine flu to date, of which 23 have died.

WHO says there have been over 6,750 deaths worldwide so far.

Vaccine programmes, limited and late

Although the world was alerted to the new strain of flu virus spreading in Mexico City back in April, the preparations made for a vaccination programme have been effected later than was originally hoped. Last  week in the UK for example, it was announced that more than three million healthy children under five across the UK will be offered the swine flu jab, whereas the announcements back before the summer were that a widespread vaccination programme would begin in September. Over in France, the first cases of a vaccine induced illness have been reported, reviving fears of a repeat of the terrible situation in the US during the 1975 pandemic when a vaccination programme was halted due to large numbers of tragic side effects.

Further Information: Swine Flu H1N1 Virus Symptoms

Click here to view the embedded video.

symptoms-of-swineflu

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H1N1 Virus – Swine Flu Season in Full Flow

Related posts:

  1. Symptoms of Swine Flu – H1N1 Virus
  2. New Brazilian Swine Flu Discovered
  3. Swine Flu Vaccination Plan

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Monday, November 23, 2009

Website Unblocking...Please Help

Hi Guys -

Anything you can do to help Amy?   Thanks!

Ellen

Hi Ellen,

This is Amy Bacchieri (Roberts) at QHS. We are currently working on
the students' personal poetry anthologies. I would REALLY like them to
be able to explore design layout and aesthetic storytelling as part of
their anthology project--and I would also like them to have the option
of ordering their anthologies in book form through shutterfly.com. It
is the perfect medium for them to be able to do all these things, and
it is important and exciting for them to be able to see their work
presented in a more formal medium. They are super excited about the
project, but we are held up at the moment because of server/blocking
issues.

When I tried to set the project up in Shutterfly, I realized that the
site is blocked--my students were able to get on the site, but weren't
able to sign in. When they tried, they were directed to the filtered
due to "Social Networking, etc." Is there any way that we can get
shutterfly.com unblocked so that the students can complete their
projects?

Thanks,
Amy

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Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Forth Road Bridge

 

"DARnet Andy Roberts" - 1 new article

  1. The Forth Road Bridge

The Forth Road Bridge


Forth Road Bridge Scotland

Originally uploaded by AndyRob

I don’t have anything in particular I wanted to say about the Forth Road Bridge really, just to post this photograph I took from a vantage point on the south bank of the Forth, just outside the town of Queensferry.

Anything you wanted to know about the Forth Road Bridge you could find out in the rather dull Wikipedia entry:

The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth; connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry. The bridge replaced a centuries-old ferry service to carry vehicular traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians across the Forth; rail crossings are made by the adjacent and historic Forth Bridge.

Issues regarding the continued tolling of the bridge, and those over its deteriorating condition and proposals to have it replaced or supplemented by an additional crossing, have caused it to become something of a political football for the Scottish Parliament, which eventually voted to scrap tolls on the bridge with effect from 11 February 2008.

Just whatever you do, don’t get it confused with the much more spectacular but more difficult to photograph “Forth Bridge” which is a railway bridge running parallel, in much the same way as the Tamar road bridge and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s famous Saltash Bridge ( The Royal Albert Bridge) between Plymouth and Cornwall.

Neither the Forth Bridge nor the Forth Road Bridge is painted continuously.

ForthBridgeScotland

The Forth Bridge (Railway)

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The Forth Road Bridge

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Update from BE Broadband: Possible Service Disruption

Hi

This weekend from 8am on Saturday 21st November to 8am on Sunday 22nd November 2009 you may experience some congestion on your broadband service due to major trackside maintenance work happening on our core fibre links.  We're really sorry for the inconvenience this will cause and will do our best to keep the disruption to a minimum. 

Some of you may not experience any issues...but we thought it better to be safe than sorry. 

All the best -

Everyone @ BE

Posted via email from Best Broadband Deals

November 2009: London ICT e-bulletin

 

 london ict ebulletin

 London Councils logo


Dear Andy,

As someone with an interest in voluntary and community sector ICT we hope you find our monthly London ICT e-bulletin useful. Our bulletin is aimed at smaller organisations, managers, circuit riders and accidental techies. It will keep you up to date with the latest news, ICT events and training, accessibility, opinions and more. You can also forward it to a colleague or unsubscribe at any time.

Join in the discussion
In the Bulletin we will normally have one or two discussion points which can be followed up by Bulletin subscribers over on the Knowledgebase Forums  - we encourage all Bulletin subscribers to join in and take forward the ongoing debates. Currently there are discussions running on the importance of ICT management, training, budgeting, social media and much more.

Lasa Information Systems Team

In this London ICT e-bulletin for November 2009:

ict news
Win a website, Computanews out now, PCs for the elderly, Community Voices

events, training and learning
Creating newsletters, NetSquared's Net Tuesday, SpiceWorld, NCVO Foresight, London Circuit Riders, Modernising Volunteering, Media Trust training, Lasa ICT Learning Programme

funding and awards
BT Community Connections, eBay for charities and Media Trust awards

resources
ICT elements of the National Support Services, updated data protection, ICT Security Guide, upgrading to Windows 7, people and project management, social media library, legal issues

practical tips
Listening dashboards, reducing energy use, extending computer life, accessibility in Vista

tools & applications
Pasting tool, information mapping, VOICE websites, typing training, Drupal introduction, green software

opinion
Measuring social media ROI, real time web, keeping online donors, dangers of social media

discuss
Have you thought about your social media policy?

ict news

Competition opens for charities to win free website and digital strategy

Digital communications agency Precedent Communications is offering £30,000-worth of its services as a competition prize for charities. The prize includes a new website, training and a digital strategy. To enter, Precedent is asking charities to post short videos on YouTube. Full details on the competition microsite. Communications charity the Media Trust is also offering prizes to the runners-up, including free training in digital media.

New Computanews out now

Issue 154 is now available to download. In this issue:
  • Microsoft's latest operating system is compared with Ubuntu and Mac alternatives along with accessibility features
  • using student volunteers and volunteering best practice
  • 12 ICT security tips to help you stay safe
  • Mobile and wireless technology explained and help with moving from cabled to wireless network
  • our round up of ICT news and events from the voluntary and community sector.
New PC for elderly people launched
A new computer aimed at people aged over 60 who are unfamiliar with PCs and the internet has been unveiled. The simplified Linux-based desktop - called SimplicITy - has just six buttons directing users to basic tasks such as e-mail and chat. Read the story on the BBC website.

Digital media research
Research commissioned by Media Trust reveals there is an opportunity for Community Voices (see Resources) to add value to media activities within disadvantaged and isolated communities. The research aimed to get an overview of the success stories as well as identifying some of the biggest barriers that prevent communities from finding their voice. Download the Community Voices report.


Related Knowledgebase articles:


events, training & learning

24 November: Create e-newsletters that get read @ venue tbc - This Media Trust afternoon workshop will teach you what content is of genuine value to your audience, how to write killer subject lines and other key elements to drive click-through rates and traffic to your website. £95 for charities/voluntary sector organisations. More information on e-newsletters workshop.

01 December: Netsquared Net Tuesday @ eOffice, 2 Sheraton Street, Soho 5.30 -7.30 - This month's meeting looks at the eCampaigning Louder.org.uk website and an opportunity for sharing. Sign up for Net Tuesday.
 
4 December: SpiceWorld London
@ Roxy Bar and Screen, London SE1 - A full day's learning on the free SpiceWorks helpdesk and inventory tool. Register for Spiceworld London

8 December: NCVO ICT Foresight Seminar @ NCVO, London, N1 - What's round the corner in the world of technology and where might your organisation be in 5 years' time? Find out more about this afternoon seminar (2.30 - 5.00pm followed by drinks reception) and book online.

15 December 2009: London Circuit Rider afternoon networking event @ Novas Contemporary Urban Centre, London Bridge - Joint event with members of LVSC's STAN and Cascade networks. We'll be exploring what circuit riders, information workers and development workers can learn from each other. Sign up for the London Circuit Riders.

13 January: Modernising Volunteering by Red Foundation - a free training seminar providing an introduction to working with social networks for volunteer support service workers and those who are thinking of or just starting to use these networks for volunteer recruitment and communication with their peers or members.  Find out more about modernising volunteering 

Media Trust training
The Media Trust is running a number of digital media training events in the London area over the next few months - see the Media Trust training page for more information.

Lasa ICT Learning Programme
A reminder that applications are open for this new innovative programme which will help circuit riders, development workers and accidental techies develop their awareness of the sector and its ICT needs, consultancy, planning and non-technical skills. More information and application forms

Event/training organisers - if you are planning an event please send us brief details so we can include it in the e-Bulletin by emailing ictbulletin@lasa.org.uk 


funding and awards

MissionFish - eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity gives eBay users an easy way to support their favourite charities by making donations when they buy and sell. Buyers can support a good cause and sellers can donate a percentage from any sale to a charity of their choice and add Gift Aid. Charities can also sell their own items directly on eBay to raise unrestricted funds. As eBay’s partner for the programme, MissionFish vets charities, processes donations, collects Gift Aid and advises on how to make the most of eBay. More information at Mission Fish

Inspiring Voices digital media awards
Media Trust is always looking to celebrate the varied and inspiring ways you are using digital media to help empower disadvantaged communities. Community Voices has  20 £500 awards to give away before the end of March 2010.  More information on Inspiring Voices.

BT Community Connections
A reminder that you can still apply for a laptop and contribution to a year's free broadband connection.  Postal applications must be received by 5 January 2010 and online by 7 January. Find out more about BT Community Connections

Related Knowledgebase articles:

resources

National Support Services
This month we look at three of the nine NSSs funded by Capacity Builders, highlighting ICT tools and elements included in each service.
Marketing & Communications - lead agency - Media Trust:
  • Marketing matters - a video guide giving practical advice on the fundamentals of marketing and demystifying Web 2.0 tools such as vodcasts and blogs.
  • Other Media Trust projects include Community Voices - engaging and equipping citizens who feel unheard or voiceless with the tools to help them express and exchange views using digital media with funding available for grassroots projects and youth media - see Media Box, Youth Mentoring and the Communication for the Next Generation guide
Campaigning & Advocacy - lead agency NCVO's Campaigning Effectiveness:
  • Louder is a new website which has been developed to support the set up and running of e-campaigns using a range of free tools.
  • There is also a collection of other resources, examples and case studies of use of new media to aid campaigns.
Equalities & Diversity - lead agency Women's Resource Centre
Updated Data Protection book published
The third edition of Paul Ticher's book on Data Protection in the Voluntary Sector has just been published.  £18.95 from Directory of Social Change.

Computanews Guide to ICT Security
Aimed at voluntary sector staff with responsibility for managing and securing ICT systems, the free 34 page ICT Security guide (2MB PDF file) looks at:

  • Assessing the risks and policies needed
  • How computer security is affected by people and the environment in which it used and
  • How to secure those all-important assets
As ICT security is a vast subject, the Guide is split into easily digestible sections, written in plain language and complemented with a rating system so as to be appropriate whatever the size or complexity of your organisation's ICT systems. Download the ICT Security Guide.

Should You Upgrade to Windows 7
Kevin Lo at TechSoup looks at four questions to ask before acquiring and deploying Windows 7 at your organisation.

Project Management – The People Side
Project management methodologies abound, but the usually overlooked people side is just as important as the processes. This new Knowledgebase article looks at some tips and tools for working successfully with people on projects, and takes a brief look at some online project management tools that can help.

New social media resource library
There are many resources on social media for nonprofits, but they are scattered all over the web. As a first step in their year-long social media research initiative, Idealware has compiled a library of nearly 200 – and growing – resources on social media. Visit the library.

- legal

Commission considers wider-ranging data breach notification law
The EC will consider passing new laws forcing organisations that lose personal data to go public with that loss. The Commission has until now been opposed to the creation of wide-ranging data breach notification requirements. More on data breaches at Out-Law.com.

Online advertising threatened by cookie law
Visitors to websites in Europe may soon face a barrage of pop-ups that seek their consent to internet cookies. The plan to change current laws on cookies can be stopped only if politicians fail to resolve a file-sharing dispute. More on cookie laws at Out-Law.com.

Consultation over maximum fine for data protection breaches
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) would have the power to fine organisations up to £500,000 for serious breaches of data protection principles under plans announced by the Ministry of Justice.
More on data protection breaches at Out-Law.com.

Related Knowledgebase articles:

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practical tips

Each month we look at some practical tips and techniques to help you get the most out of using ICT.

How to create a listening dashboard for your organisation
NetSquared's Amy Sample Ward investigates how to pull together sources of online information in one place.

Reduce Your Energy Use
TechSoup's five quick and easy ways to reduce your ICT energy use - part one is an overview, part two looks at two of the suggestions in more detail.

Extending the Life of Your Computer
Save money and resources and keep that PC out of the graveyard for a few more years - a TechSoup article.
 
Accessibility Features in Windows Vista

Download this Superhighways guide to the accessibility features available in Windows Vista.

Related Knowledgebase articles:



tools & applications

Each month we look at some handy tools to help you get the most out of your technology:

BetterPaste
Better Paste is a simple, lightweight application for Windows that tweaks the Ctrl+V paste shortcut so that it pastes plain text every time. This is really useful if you are copying text from a Word document and need to strip out the formatting in order to bring it into a web page.

Get a Brain!

The Personal Brain is a great free visual information mapping desktop application. Download your Brain
 
VOICE websites
Cambridge Open Systems is making available free websites to all not-for-profit, voluntary, and community groups throughout the UK that can be set up with no technical expertise required.  Interactive modules such as events calendars, discussion boards and surveys can easily be added to sites. Local authorities can subscribe to the full VOICE package which includes training and technical support.

Learn to type
UltraKey 5.0 UK is a downloadable application which teaches touch typing and safe keyboard use. It provides many options that adapt to a broad range of age groups and special needs. There is a free time limited trial download from the Bytes of Learning website; through the CTX programme eligible organisations can opt to buy 5 licences for  £10 + VAT.
 
Drupal 101
An introduction to Drupal website content management system by Peter Campbell at Idealware.

Greening Your IT Through Your Software Choices
Computers and servers can consume a tremendous amount of natural resources.  Over at Idealware David Deal and the Green IT Consortium take a look at the software that can help you reduce your environmental footprint.

Related Knowledgebase articles:



opinion

Our new section takes a tour around the sector's blogs...

Measuring ROI on social media
Clare Rollinson at NCVO looks at why you should ask the question: have we received more donations or more sales from our activity in social media?

Real time web in action
There's more to real time internet than Twitter - Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWrite Web gives 10 useful examples.

Online Donors: Why They Leave and How to Win Them Back
Rebecca Higman and Kayta Andreson from Network For Good discuss how to keep your online donors over at NTEN's blogs.

Has Your Organization Thought Through its Social Media Policy?
Dee Allbritton examines the dangers of social media and why a policy is important to safeguard your organisation online.

Related Knowledgebase articles:



discuss

Has your organisation recently started using social media? Has it thought through the potential issues and dangers and established a social media policy (as discussed by Dee Allbritton in the Opinion section)? Discuss this over on the ICT Knowledgebase Forum.

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About Lasa
Lasa is a charity which delivers innovative services in the fields of welfare benefits advice, ICT (information and communications technology) and advice policy. Our clients are mainly from the voluntary sector and statutory sector but we also work with some private sector organisations.

Lasa publications
Lasa's monthly London ICT e-bulletin provides up to date ICT news, events, funding, tools, tips and resources for staff in small to medium-sized voluntary organisations. Published in collaboration with Superhighways

Get Lasa's monthly London ICT e-bulletin by email.

Lasa's magazine Computanews provides straight-forward, clear information on the use of ICT for staff in small to medium-sized voluntary organisations.

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Computanews is published quarterly as a free Acrobat pdf file download.

ICT support in your area

London ICT Champion
The London Regional ICT Champion
supports VCOs to better understand ICT to achieve their missions of delivering quality services more effectively.

Lasa ICT Knowledgebase
The sector leading ICT Knowledgebase contains over 300 articles in jargon free plain English on all aspects of ICT. Discuss the articles and more at the ICT Cafe.

Lasa Suppliers Directory
From web designers to support companies, use the Suppliers Directory to locate independently verified high quality ICT support in your area.

UK riders email list
UKRiders is a discussion group for circuit riders and others who support voluntary and community sector technology.

Superhighways
Superhighways is an ICT Support and Development Social Enterprise run by and for the voluntary and community sector in South London, and collaborates with Lasa in the production of this e-bulletin.

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Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

East London Bus Strike - 48-hour Industrial action

 
Some East London Bus and Coach Company staff are planning 48-hour Industrial action from Friday 20 November 2009.

If this goes ahead, the following bus routes will be affected from Friday morning 0300 until Sunday 22 November at 0300:

5, 8, 15, 25, 26, 30, 48, 55, 56, 62, 69, 86, 97

101, 103, 104, 106, 115, 145, 147, 158, 169, 175

205, 230, 238, 241, 247, 257, 262, 276, 277, 287, 294, 296

300, 325, 330, 366, 369, 376, 387, 396

473, 496

D3, N8, N15, N26, N55, N86 and N550

For latest information and help planning your journeys, visit tfl.gov.uk

DLR, London Overground and London Underground will accept 7 Day or longer period Bus Passes during the day where buses are not operating.


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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Heron Valley Cider Tasting


ukcider - real cider and perry

Heron Valley Cider Tasting
November 14, 2009 at 9:25 am

Heron Valley Cider

We ordered one bottle of Heron Valley Cider to try and it arrived today so we made a tasting video to share our reaction on opening the bottle and trying some of the cider.

Heron Valley Devon cider is claimed to be “Authentic Devon Cider”

None of this ‘serve over ice’ rubbish…. We make our award winning cider in an entirely natural and honest way, using local Devon Cider apples, many from ancient orchards, pressed in our hydraulic press through Acacia boards and cloth, and then allowed to ferment and mature naturally using the wild yeasts present on the skins of the apples. No added yeasts, water or sulphites, just pure Devon cider apple juice fermented and nothing else.

and yet the label says that it’s only 6% and lists as an ingredient, “organic cane sugar” so there’s a bit of an anomoly there.


The cider was clean tasting, fruity and sharp but perhaps not quite dry enough for my preference, but I could easily drink a pint of it in one go, and then maybe another.

So we ordered a whole bag-in-box of the Heron Valley Dry cider and made another tasting video when it arrived.


Excellent cider and all made with 100% organci cider apples, and no added sulphites. There are some people would have you believe that it’s impossible to grow apples organically on any scale, and that making cider without using sulphite is a horrible gamble, but fortunately the good people at Heron Valley Cider aren’t listening to any of them.

One box of Heron Valley Dry cider cost £35 delivery included so that works out at £3.50 a litre which is less than £2 a pint for some of the best natural cider you can buy anywhere.

videos by Cider Workshop

 

Posted via email from Cider

Saturday, November 14, 2009

London Bridge

Ths shoudl make a slideshow of pictures of London Bridge.

There are cormorants underneath London bridge you know..

http://www.youtube.com/user/andyrobertsmusic

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Cider Festival

Hi

I read your post and thought I would make contact.

We are an award winning Hertfordshire based cider producer so very local to you.

We can supply a range of ciders either on draught or bottled. We also
have organic options if this is of interest.

We have recently sponsored the cider bar at the St Albans beer
festival where the cider went down a storm!

I have attached a brief PDF to give a flavour of what we do.

If you would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Jennie White

via http://www.ukcider.co.uk

Posted via email from Cider

Royal Windsor Racecourse


Hi

 

We are planning a cider festival to be held during racing on a lovely late summer Monday evening.

 

Would you be interested in talking to me about this.

 

Best wishes and thanks

Matthew

 

Matthew Foxton-Duffy

Sales & Marketing Manager

Flash New 2009 Hospitality Brochure

Royal Windsor Racecourse

cid:<a href=image001.gif@01C884FD.B394E0D0" width="375" /> 

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Posted via email from Cider

TWELVE ITEMS OF FOLK MUSIC NEWS FROM LEWES FOR NOVEMBER

TWELVE ITEMS OF FOLK MUSIC NEWS FROM LEWES FOR NOVEMBER

1] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK
Station Street, Lewes
Enquiries: - (01273) 478124 or 881316
Email tinvic@globalnet.co.uk.


Every Thursday 8.pm PROMPT START
Here is our programme for the coming months:-


Nov 12th * £5.00 * BOB LEWIS
The finest of the Sussex traditional singers and a genial man with the
very fine repertoire of songs. The evening will also include a showing
of Jonathan Roper's film about Bob entitled "The Crocodile, the
Cobbler and Bob"

Nov 19th * £7.00 * DICK GAUGHAN
Edinburgh's finest. An outstanding radical singer and guitarist and a
professional musician since Jan 1970. In two months time, Dick will
have been performing for a living for 40 years.

Nov 26th * £6.00 * RATTLE ON THE STOVEPIPE
The combination of Dave Arthur, Pete Cooper and Dan Stewart is a very
special one and rightly they have become a very popular attraction.

Dec 3rd * Free Admission * LEWES LATE NIGHT SHOPPING OPEN NIGHT
There's always lots going on in the town on this night including many
visiting musicians - and they usually wind up at the Royal Oak.

Dec 10th * £7.00 * PETE MORTON, MAGGIE BOYLE & CHRIS PARKINSON present
"THE MAGIC CHRISTMAS TREE TOUR"
Hilarious, entertaining, engaging, fascinating and musically excellent.

Dec 17th * Free Admission * CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHT
With the resident musicians acting as the band, we have a right old
song and dance.

Jan 7th * £6.00 * ROSIE DAVIS, JOE LOCKER & BOB WINQUIST

A tremendous trio offering great singing and musicianship on fiddle,
banjo, autoharp, guitar and bass plus Rosie's sparkling dancing.

Jan 14th * free admission * OPEN NIGHT

Jan 21st * £5.00 * BING LYLE

The very engaging local singer of traditional songs, songwriter and a
talented multi- instrumentalist.

Jan 28th * £7.00 * SARA GREY'S 70th BIRTHDAY PARTY.

We give a party for the American singer and banjoist who has made very
many appearances in Lewes since the 1960s and made a huge contribution
to the folk scene on both sides of the Atlantic. She appears with her
song Kieron and surprise guests.

Feb 4th * £6.00 * MARTYN WYNDHAM READ & IRIS BISHOP

One of the finest voices on the folk scene in the company of one of
the most talented and sensitive accompanists.

Later in 2010, our guests will include:-

* JEZ LOWE *THE SHROPSHIRE HEROES [Chris Bartram, Neil Brookes & Tony
Weatherall] * CHRIS COE & JOHN ADAMS MARTIN CARTHY, NORMA WATERSON &
CHRIS PARKINSON * JOHN KIRKPATRICK * ANDY TURNER & MATT GREEN * JEFF
WARNER *

Our websites are at

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic  and

http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

Those of you who arrange listings are politely requested to include
all of the above.

***********

2] LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL 7 -10th OCTOBER 2010.
The two Lewes folk clubs are combining their efforts to promote this
festival, largely based in their own clubrooms and other venues in the
town. At the moment this is still in the early planning stages but
watch this circular and elsewhere for updates on the guests/programme
etc. At the moment the following artists have agreed to appear: -
SHIRLEY COLLINS, JOHN KIRKPATRICK, CHRIS COE, JOHN ADAMS, PETE COE.
SUE COE.

***********

3] SARA GREY'S 70th BIRTHDAY - 28th JANUARY 2010

One regular recipient of this monthly circular will not be receiving
it this time - and that is Sara Grey! We have booked her along with
her son Kieron Means to appear on that night and we do want to make it
a very special occasion so please:-

* Contact us with your suggestions of what we could do on the evening

* Send your cards, letters to us at the address below and we will
present them to Sara on the evening.

* Any email messages we will collate and print to give to her -
tinvic@globalnet.co.uk

* Any short .mp3 message of greeting attached to emails will be played
to her during the evening - also tinvic@globalnet.co.uk

But most of all - please make an effort to be there to make it a very
special occasion for Sara who has been a stalwart of the folk club
scene in this country for over 40 years now.

***********

4] FOLK AT THE ROYAL OAK ON "MYSPACE"
Our MYSPACE profile enables us to profile sample tracks of coming
guests as well as show photos and biographies of coming guests. It is
at http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes
Currently on our MYSPACE we have the following tracks by coming guests:-


Bob Lewis - "A Sweet Country Life" (November 12th)
Dick Gaughan - "The Freedom Come-All-Ye" - (November 19th)
Rattle On The Stovepipe - "Eight More Miles To Louisville" (November 26th)
Maggie Boyle [with Pete Morton & Chris Parkinson] - "The Little
Thatched Cabin" - (December 10th)
Chris Parkinson [with Pete Morton & Maggie Boyle] - "Scotch
Measure/Mount Hills" - (December 10th)
Pete Morton [with Maggie Boyle & Chris Parkinson] - "The Two Brothers"
- (December 10th)
Joe Locker [with Rosie Davis & Bob Winquist] - "Hogeye" - (January 7th)

Sara Grey & Kieron Means - "Lazy John" - (January 28th)
Martyn Wyndham Read & Iris Bishop - "The Foggy Dew" - (February 4th)
Tony Weatherall [as part of The Shropshire Heroes] - "The Woolsack -
Oh What A Row - Reel" - (February 18th)

After each gig the songs will drop off to be replaced with another by
an upcoming guest.
In addition there are videos by each of the following coming guest artists:-
DICK GAUGHAN - November 19th

RATTLE ON THE STOVEPIPE November 26th

PETE MORTON December 10th

MAGGIE BOYLE December 10th

ROSIE DAVIS JOE LOCKER & BOB WINQUIST January 7th

SARA GREY & KIERON MEANS January 28th

MARTYN WYNDHAM READ & IRIS BISHOP February 4th
JEZ LOWE February 11th

***********
5] SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE - UPDATED
For all the listings of folk music, song club, dances, festivals in
and around Sussex, have a look at http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk
This site all always kept updated with the latest events and those
currently listed cover all the dates up until the end of 2009.
***********
6] THE FOLK DIARY
Most of the listings on the Sussex Folk Guide website are taken from
the paper magazine, THE FOLK DIARY. Issue no 239 covers the months of
October and November. They are packed with adverts for various folk
festivals, folk music record companies, specialist shops, instrument
makers and other services as well as details of all the folk song and
dance events in our area. To obtain copies of this free magazine as it
is published, please send SAE's to Vic Smith at the address below.
It is also the address to send album review copies to.  Potential
advertisers are also asked to contact Vic for a statement of our
advertising rates.

The copy date will be December 31st for the February/March issue.
However, it should be mentioned that once the available space has been
filled, no more adverts can be accepted even if they are received
BEFORE the copy date. With this in mind, it is worth contacting the
editors before the copy date to state your intentions and reserve
advertising space even if you have not got final details or you copy
prepared.

Please contact

JIM MARSHALL 01273 559750 jimars@globalnet.co.uk

Or

VIC SMITH 01273 478124 tinvic@globalnet.co.uk

The next issue will be number 240 covers the months of December and
January and as is a bi-monthly publication, it does not take much to
work out that it will mark 40 years of this local listings
magazine!!!! And all the time the same two people have been at the
helm. This will be delivered from the printers tomorrow - November
11th and distribution will start straight away.
**********
7] THE FOLK DIARY ON LINE
THE FOLK DIARY is available on-line at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/fd.htm You will need Adobe ACROBAT
READER to read the pages. The size of each page is given by each page
link and the content of each page is indicated. The following issue is now
on-line and are listed here with the content of each page:-

ISSUE No. 239 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2009
Page 1 (572kb) Brighton Acoustic Season, The Stag Theatre Sevenoaks,
Spyboy Presentations.
Page 2 (1547kb) Willows Folk Club, Arundel (Weds),Croydon Folk Club
presents "The Navvy's Wife", The Rude Mechanicals (Weds), GBH
Ceilidhs, The White Horse Bodle St. Green (Mons), The Beacon Tunbridge
Wells (Mons).
Page 3 (836kb) Lewes Saturday Club, Royal Oak Lewes (Thurs) -
Advertising rates and copy dates
Page 4 (679kb)Piggies Open Mic Uckfield (Tues), Sussex Folk
Association, Lamb Eastbourne (Weds), Hobgoblin Music, Greg Harper
dates.
Page 5 (1054kb) Roots Around The World, Grub Music Cafe East
Grinstead, Brighton Folk & Blues Club (Fris).
Page 6 (2005kb) Fee Calls Ceilidhs, North Brighton Singarounds (Weds &
Suns), Amberley Folk Club (Tues), Tenterden Folk Festival.
Page 7 (1659kb) Seaford Folk Club (Fris), Acoustic Sussex.
Page 8 (2051kb) Croydon Folk Club presents James Fagan & Nancy Kerr,
Greg Harper album, Meltdown Ceilidhs, Hotel Le Cheval Blanc.
Page 9 (755kb) GP Music Productions, Elsies (Sats), Six Bells
Chiddingly (Tues), Zoox at Bom-Bane's Cafe, Brighton Cellarfolk
(Tues), Electric Voices.
Page 10 (721kb) Barry Murphy Banjos, Vince's fiddles, Barber & Taylor
at The Open House, Croydon Folk Club, Mid-Sussex Folk Singers (Weds)
Page 11 (474 kb) Horsham Folk Club (Suns), Jo Chedgey, " With Our Pint
Pots In Our Hands"
Page 12 (1599 kb) Gary's Live Music Club, Komedia Brighton
Page 13 (272 kb) Hawth Crawley, Button Badges, Sussex Pistols, 40
years of The Folk Diary

**********

8] LEWES WORKSHOPS AT THE ELEPHANT & CASTLE
The workshops last a full Saturday or Sunday and the tutor performs at the
club in the evening. The programme for the remainder of 2009 will be:-

14th.  Nov          Vicki Swan  Scottish smallpipes

21st. Nov           Tom & Barbara Brown Ballad forum

5th. Dec             Billy Teare Storytelling

5th. Dec             Kathleen O'Sullivan Irish song

Then the programme for 2010 is as follows:-

20th Feb            Steve Turner Concertina (all systems)

27th Feb            Coope Boyes & Simpson  Vocal harmony

27th Feb            Georgina Boyes Folklore: a participatory talk

27th. March        Ben Paley Fiddle

17th. April          Shirley Collins English traditional song masterclass

18h. April           Shirley Collins English traditional song masterclass

24th April           Issey Emeney  Melodeon

22nd. May          Joe Penland North Carolina traditional song & society

5th June             Mike O'Connor & Barbara Griggs Cornish
traditional tunes from manuscripts

6th June             Mike O'Connor Songwriting in the tradition

10th. July           Karen Tweed O'Carolan's music (any instrument)

18th. Sept          Moor Music Dartmoor music (any instrument)

9th. Oct              John Adams, Chris Partington Village Music
Project (any instrument)

10th Oct             Chris Coe Ballad forum

30/31st. Oct       Martin Carthy Guitar (workshop on Sunday 31st)

13th. Nov           Frankie Armstrong Voice & performance technique

20th. Nov           Tim Laycock Concertina (all systems)


The website for more details is
http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/LAFC/workshps.html or contact Valmai
Goodyear on (01273) 476757 or email ValmaiGoodyear@aol.com

The Lewes Saturday Folk Club has a new domain name -
http://www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/. This will work in parallel with
the old name http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/ for the time being but
they hope to phase it out so please change your bookmarks.

********

9] MONTHLY SESSION IN LEWES

After a gap of several years, Sunday afternoon tune and song sessions
have returned to the bar of the Royal Oak in Station Street in Lewes.
These will be on the last Sunday of the month from 3.30 - 5.30pm.
Dates for the next sessions are

~~~~~    November 29th  - January 31st   ~~~~~

No session in December

They will be run by Vic & Tina Smith.

********
10] OTHER REGULAR SESSIONS IN THE LEWES/BRIGHTON AREA
Bryan Creer has taken on the task of detailing these, and they are posted at
http://www.lewesarmsfolkclub.org/LAFC/Sessions.php
Have a look and if there are any you think that Bryan has missed - contact
him on Bryancreer@aol.com

********

11] BRIGHTON MIDWINTER CEILIDH - CORN EXCHANGE, BRIGHTON - 20th DECEMBER

This huge event is one of the most popular and well attended folk
dances in the south of England. Dancing to THE SUSSEX PISTOLS with
caller VIC SMITH. It always sells out so get your tickets well in
advance from http://www.brightondome.org/EventSeatBlock.aspx

********

12] THE COPPER FAMILY - HOUSE CONCERT - 26th JANUARY

This from Jon Dudley

Dear V&T,
It's coming up that time of year again - January, and we've decided to
have another house concert, Our guests will be 'Rattle on the
Stovepipe' and the date will be Tuesday 26th January (the last Tuesday
in January if it helps people remember), Any chance you might feel
like MC'ing Vic?
We hope you may be available for this onerous task and that you would
be kind enough to mention the event to your august and faithful
audience via your email blast...again we're suggesting a 'voluntary'
£7.00 donation. There will be a free glass of Harveys or a glass of
red or white wine, subsequent ones at £1 a throw. Strictly
not-for-profit. All proceeds to artists.
Tickets will be by email application only and we'll be emailing
everyone that came last time as well. Please email
copperdudley@btopenworld.com

>
...And  if you are ever looking for a good barn dance band, look no
further than THE SUSSEX PISTOLS - though you should get in quickly -
available dates for 2010 are being snapped up quickly. They have  been
booked, once again for the largest and most prestigious dance in our
area, the BRIGHTON MIDWINTER CEILIDH at the Corn Exchange in Brighton
on December 20th. Book early for this as it always sells out very
quickly.
Contact Tina on 01273 478124 or email her at tinasmith226@yahoo.co.uk  to
book the band. The band's website is at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm and they have a
MYSPACE profile as well at http://www.myspace.com/thesussexpistols

__________________________________________

VIC & TINA SMITH
26 Ferrers Road
LEWES
East Sussex
BN7 1PZ
England

Tel & Fax:- 01273 478124
Email:-
tinvic@globalnet.co.uk
folk@brighton.co.uk

ROYAL OAK WEBSITES:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic

http://www.myspace.com/royaloakfolklewes

SUSSEX FOLK GUIDE WEBSITE:-
http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/folk

LEWES FOLK FESTIVAL WEBSITE:-

http://lewesfolkfest.org/

SUSSEX PISTOLS BARN DANCE BAND WEBSITE:-
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tinvic/pistols.htm

COMPOUND SOUNDS WEBSITE
http://www.compoundsounds.com

http://www.myspace.com/jalisherrifokonteh
________________________________
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Monday, November 09, 2009

Manmade Eden - a history of Orchards

'Manmade Eden', a history of orchards

The West Country is famed for its orchards, but why are they here? As
the campaign to save and celebrate English orchards gathers momentum,
this book explores their fascinating and - until now - neglected
history. Why is Glastonbury known as Avalon, the Isle of Apples? What
made Redstreak Cyder the most popular drink of the seventeenth
century? Who was Dr Ashmead, cultivator of the connoisseur's favourite
apple, Ashmead's Kernel? How did a Somerset vicar come to make cider
for Queen Victoria?This rich, wide-ranging book takes a long historic
look at changing fashions and fortunes - asking why thirteenth-century
monks and Edwardian landowners planted orchards, and why post-war
governments paid farmers to destroy them. The author argues that Apple
Day (October 21) should be made our national autumn holiday. He
examines the role of Common Ground, the National Trust and other
organisations in preserving and restoring orchards, and asks: what can
we do to make our orchards as profitable as they were in centuries
past?

Posted via email from Cider

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Havering Folk Club News

Havering Folk Club News

8th November 2009

 

Last Week:

Wow, what a truly unusual evening our guest artists, Sandragon gave us last week! I love those medieval sounds (the raushfeife’s my favourite) and the gang gave us a varied programme which was much enjoyed by all judging from the applause. They even had us clearing the tables and having a go at some medieval dancing. Good fun and very entertaining indeed.

 

We also had some floor spots from our regulars and these were Bert Dady & Keith Petty, Kriss Pouch, Simon Oliver, Margaret Brown, Andy Roberts and Linda Worley. 

 

Haverfolks’ Outside Activities:

A reminder that Chelmsford Star Barbershop Harmony Club, of which Dave Worley is a member, will be hosting a concert in aid of McMillan Cancer Support on Saturday, 28th November 2009 at Chelmsford County High School for Girls, Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1RW. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start and tickets are just £5.  Apart from Chelmsford Star themselves, there will be several other guest artists.

 

A slightly early next, but I’ll put it round again nearer the date: This is a Traditional Folk Carol Service to be held at St. Clement’s Church, Leigh-on-Sea on Sunday 13th December 2009 from 6.30pm – 8pm. Regular Haverpeople, Foxen will be performing along with Famous Potatoes, John Coppins, Jack Forbes, Peter Monk, Roy Brown, Suzanne Higgins, John Smith, Chrissy King, Honeygales, Essex Singers’ Club, and Ken MacKinnon. The performance is in aid of homeless, famine and church charities. I’ve not been told the price of tickets, but I feel sure Foxen will enlighten me. I’ve attached a poster for anyone able to give this a bit of publicity.

 

Christmas Dinner:

Our Christmas Dinner this year will be on Wednesday 16th December at The Golden Lion and will be followed by an open session. The menu is:

 

Starters:

Mushroom Dipper

Prawn Cocktail

Soup of the Day

 

Main Courses:

Traditional Roast Turkey

Traditional Roast Beef

Fillet of Salmon with Tomato and Basil Source

Asparagus and Brie Tart

 

Desserts:

Profiteroles and Ice Cream

Vanilla Cheesecake

Christmas Pudding.

 

Prices are just £7.99 for two courses or £9.99 for three courses. If you’d like to come along to the dinner this year please let us have your choices and payments by the end of November. 

Next Session:

Wednesday 11th November is another of our open sessions, so I look forward to seeing you there. Make it a date – Wednesday at eight!

 

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Kasai Masai on 27th November

Dear Forest Folk

just letting you know nice and early so that you can put it in your
diary that back by popular demand is the fantastic African band, Kasai
Masai www.kasaimasai.com. on friday, 27th November at the back of the
Forest Gate Hotel, Sebert Road, E7 0LW. They bring the traditional
sounds of Africa but mix it with an urban edge and will have you
dancing in the aisles if we had aisles. Plus the Flats family band,
surprise guests and local acts as usual.
This will be our last event before Christmas so make sure you come
early to be sure of your favourite seat

By the way Chris Haigh and Andy Tulloch gave us a fantastic night last
month and we'd like to say a big thankyou to them
 and all the other performers who helped make the night so memorable.

stay forever young

Jenny and Caroline

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Andy Roberts - Building a log pile

"DARnet Andy Roberts" - 1 new article

  1. Building a log pile
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Building a log pile

I started building a small log pile a couple of years ago in order to add to the environmental diversity in my back garden. There were only a few pieces of wood though, left over from some grubbing out and thinning. Then there was the incident with the dangerously overgrown eucalyptus tree which had to be taken down or severely pollarded. When the tree surgeons came to do the job I told them to leave me the logs, so this is what I had as my raw material to build my substantial log pile with.

The rest of this story can be told largely in pictures, I think. Unless there are any questions.

A-finished log pile

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Building a log pile

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

One More cup of Coffee Bob Dylan song on Andy Roberts Youtube

Getting more views on youTube than Andy Roberts own songs at present
is a cover of Bob Dylan's song from the Desire album - One More cup of
Coffee for the road.

http://www.youtube.com/v/mSvpI9_2IPk

...to the Valley below

Is it worth recording covers like Bob Dylan songs or should I be
concentrating more on my own stuff really?

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

One More Cup Of Coffee - Bob Dylan Song by Andy Roberts

One More Cup Of Coffee , is one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs from the Desire album. Here performed by Andy Roberts at Havering Folk Club.



One more cup of coffee for the road.